Oct 18, 2017
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Taking Care of Business...
It's the middle of September and the Pittsburgh Pirates are taking care of business. Since getting swept in St. Louis the Buccos are 12-2. They are 19-8 since that dreaded 7-game losing streak in August that almost ended their season prematurely. Two of the team's 3 sweeps have occurred on this run, by the best baseball they have played all season.
The Bucs are averaging 5.3 runs a game during this stretch, prompting comparisons to the famed Lumber Company of the 1970s. Bucs Dugout posted some great stats Wednesday Night including SABRmetrics on how this team is the 3rd most productive offense in team history (behind 1979 and 1909). Bob Smizik of the Post-Gazette has a few excellent nuggets this morning considering, including:
The bullpen’s September ERA: 1.19
The starting rotation’s September ERA (2.42), WHIP (1.12), BAA (.210), OPS-against (.603), K/9 (9.97) and save percentage (100). The Pirates are first in the NL in each category.
The team’s constant improvement of batting lines over the course of the season:
First half: .256/.331/.366 -- .720.
Second half: .270/.332/.436 -- .768.
September: .294/.352/.478 -- .830.
This weekend, the Pirates have an opportunity to take care of even more business. If they do, they may even win the Central or host a wildcard game. Either way the Bucs will have to keep winning just to keep the Brewers from taking care of their business.
Surging Pirates Hit A Speed Bump in South Philly, Lose 4-3
"I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Lemon
Another night, another one-run game the Bucs end up on the wrong side and you can't help but feel like last night's affair was another win (along with about 15 others throughout the season) that got away. The good people over at Bucs Dugout have some great overviews of last night's events at Citizens Bank Park. Check it out here & here.
Once again, the Pirates get owned by unlikely heroes, this time it took the form of Maikel Franco (3B), Freddy Galvis (SS) & David Buchanan (P). They came into the game hitting .133, .085 & .034 respectively, but went a combined 6 for 8 at the plate last night, with 2 doubles, a home run and 13 total bases between them.
A number of key miscues turned into runs for the Phillies or halted potential rallies for the Pirates. In the bottom of the first inning Neil Walker lost a pop out in the lights. In the top of the second inning Russell Martin got thrown out at 2nd base trying to turn a single into a double.
The Pirates had baserunners in the 5th, 7th and 9th innings and went an abysmal 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. To add insult to injury, Starling Marte (who's red hot by the way) had a home run call reversed into a ground rule double (didn't clear wall but fan interfered preventing ricochet that may have resulted in a triple) in the 5th and was left stranded. Gregory Polanco made all the way the 3rd base in the top of the 9th but ended up being the 10th and final Pirate left on base for the game. Manager Clint Hurdle said post-game: "We had 3 different inning where a base hit would have played well for us. We didn't get it."
The best news of the night was that the Braves and Brewers lost as well keeping the Pirates 1.5 games up in the standings with 18 games to go. In other news, Charlie Morton's hip is bothering him and his role down the stretch is unclear at this juncture and Edinson Volquez was quite miffed about being taken out after 6 innings of work. He was quoted as saying "Only 90 pitches...I was ready to go. I threw 82 in my last one. I threw 90 today. I was more than ready to go." The Trib has also has a solid piece on the game and a frustrated Eddie V.
I know I lead this with a quote from Bob Lemon about bullpens, and they had their share in the loss with Justin Wilson giving up the winning run in the top in the 7th inning. While the frustration with the bullpen is clear and present, I wanted to unwrap other elements of the game that may have been overlooked due to the vitriol that exists for the bullpen right about now. Don't get it twisted thought this bullpen have been increasing the heart rate of the Bucco faithful all season with no end in sight. Here's to hoping something comes over this bullpen soon and gets them more consistent. In addition to that, let's hope this was just a road bump on the way to the wildcard and the Braves and Brewers continue to fade. These last 18 games will be interesting...
The Dock Abides...
Today is a day that will live long in my memory of great days in Pirates' history. The Bucs won a 1.3 header and I finally got to see the long awaited and highly anticipated film: "No No: A dockumentary" on the life and times of famed Pirate pitcher Dock Ellis.
In my humble opinion the film is something even those who have no interest in baseball can get into. The film offers a unique lens to peer back to the 1970s and the world according to one of baseball's most unique and memorable players of all-time.
While the film deals with the infamous "LSD No Hitter", it does so in the context of the larger story of Dock Ellis, much more interesting than the "novelty" of the infamous baseball feat he accomplished on June 12, 1970. The film is quite moving and inspirational, I will not spoil it for you so go see it. "No No" runs until Sept 18th at the Harris Theater.
Now back to baseball. Josh Baseball came to rescue once again to close out the suspended game. A few interesting things happened recently in no particular order:
Watson pitched the 7th & 8th, Melancon the 9th & 10th. I can't remember anytime I've ever seen them eat up 4 inning between them.
"Big John Stud" aka John Holdzkom got the save in the bottom of the 11th striking out 2 more. 5 of the 6 batters he's face since being called up have been stuck out. The 6' 9" 240 pounder from New Zealand has quite the story to tell.
Josh Harrison. First & Foremost let's hope his ankle is OK. As of today here is where he ranks among the NL: 1st in the league in batting average (.315), 5th in slugging (.513), 7th in doubles (33), 7th in triples (7), 8th in OPS (.860)
I missed a good portion of the 2nd game, but here's a good synopsis on Bucs Dugout,
Tomorrow shall be interesting 1:00pm kickoff for Steelers and 2:20pm first pitch for the Pirates. I'll be watching the Pirates.
A Different Kind of a Double Header: Today, the Bucs will take on a rejuvenated Cubs team loaded with young hungry talent. First pitch is 2:20pm. The Bucs have been given charity CPR by the Braves and Brewers and still have a fighting chance for the 2nd wildcard spot. If they can go 5-2 in Chicago and Philadelphia they will have helped their cause tremendously. 6-1 or better would be a game changer.
Tonight, the long-awaited and highly anticipated documentary "No No" opens nationally. I have not seen the film yet, but there are reviews in the SF Chronicle, LA Times & Entertainment Weekly. The film is running here in Pittsburgh at the Harris Theater (starting tonight at 7:30pm) through Sept 18th, see showtime info here.
I hope that off-day helped get the "Sweep in St. Louie" out of your system. It sure did the trick for me. In the meantime let's go Bucs and make your way to the Harris Theater to see "No No" before it leaves town.